Washington, D.C. — A growing Global Alliance of multi-faith organizations, human rights advocates, and prominent individuals has issued an urgent appeal calling on the international community to act decisively against the ongoing persecution of Hindus in Bangladesh. The appeal was authored and coordinated by Hindus Advancing Human Rights Initiative (HAHRI)—an initiative of HinduPACT, an independent nonprofit human rights organization and has now been signed by over 125 organizations and individuals across 15 countries.
The letter documents a systematic, long-running pattern of violence, intimidation, and forced displacement targeting Hindus in Bangladesh, a trend that has intensified following the political transition under the Yunus-led interim government.
“The Hindus of Bangladesh are the indigenous peoples of the country entitled to have their life and culture protected from discrimination under the UN Convention on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007. What we are seeing is the exact opposite. It is not episodic violence or isolated lawlessness,” said Rahul Sur, Executive Director of HAHRI. “It is a sustained human rights crisis rooted in impunity. The international community has a moral and legal obligation to intervene before an entire indigenous religious community is erased through ethnic cleansing.”
A Pattern of Persecution
The Alliance’s appeal draws on publicly available reports by international bodies, human rights organizations, and media accounts that chronicle:
- The December 18, 2025, public lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, following false allegations of blasphemy, an incident witnessed globally and underscored the complete collapse of protections for minorities.
- Escalating incidents of attacks on religious minorities since August 2024, including murders, arson, temple desecration, and land seizures.
- Findings by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and other monitoring bodies noting rising intimidation and violence against Hindus.
- Repeated mob-driven blasphemy allegations used to justify public lynchings and murders, intimidation, arrests, and destruction of property.
Bangladesh’s Hindu population has declined sharply from approximately 22% in 1951 to under 7% today, with estimates indicating that hundreds of thousands of Hindus have fled over recent decades into India. Human rights experts point to this demographic collapse as evidence of ongoing ethnic and religious cleansing rather than voluntary migration.
“The numbers alone tell a devastating story,” said Ajay Shah, Founder and Executive Chair of HinduPACT. “A democracy cannot selectively protect rights. When a minority shrinks at this scale under persistent violence and intimidation, it is a failure of the state and of the global system meant to prevent such outcomes.”
Key Demands to International Stakeholders
The Global Alliance’s letter urges specific actions from relevant authorities:
United States Government
- Designate Bangladesh as a Country of Particular Concern
- Dispatch an independent fact-finding delegation
- Require regular, public reporting on minority rights by the U.S. Embassy
- Review Bangladesh’s participation in UN peacekeeping operations
- Provide refugee protections for persecuted Hindus
European Union
- Condition trade benefits on measurable improvements in minority protections
- Initiate parliamentary review of religious freedom violations
United Nations and OHCHR
- Publicly condemn violations against Hindus
- Establish a fact-finding or monitoring mechanism
- Investigate misuse of blasphemy accusations as a tool of persecution
Government of India
- Prepare humanitarian measures for displaced Hindus
- Track and publicly document rights violations
- Explore diplomatic and legal avenues to compel minority protections
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)
- Condemn violence against Hindus as inconsistent with stated commitments to human dignity
A Multifaith, Human Rights–Centered Appeal
Importantly, the signatories to the Alliance letter include multifaith organizations, civil rights groups, academics, lawyers, and human rights defenders, underscoring that the issue transcends religion.
“Human rights are not divisible,” Ajay Shah emphasized. “Our advocacy is rooted in universal principles. Protecting Hindus in Bangladesh strengthens the global human rights framework for everyone.”
Grassroots Mobilization Across the United States
In parallel with diplomatic advocacy, grassroots rallies were held in more than 25 cities across the United States with multiple organizations, including HAHRI, taking leadership, reflecting broad community concern and cross-faith solidarity. Participants called on the Bangladesh government to uphold constitutional protections and urged international institutions to take enforcement-oriented action rather than issue symbolic statements.
These demonstrations emphasized what organizers described as a “drip-drip genocide”— a relentless process of displacement, terror, and erasure that rarely triggers emergency responses despite its cumulative impact.
Parallel Signature Campaign to the United Nations
Alongside the Alliance letter, HAHRI initiated a parallel grassroots signature campaign addressed to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, which has been signed by thousands of individuals worldwide. The petition urges the UN Human Rights Council to:
- Publicly acknowledge the targeted nature of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh
- Establish an independent fact-finding mechanism
- Hold perpetrators and enabling institutions accountable under international human rights law
“Petitions, rallies, and formal submissions together demonstrate that this concern is not limited to policy circles,” Rahul Sur noted. “Ordinary citizens across faiths are demanding that universal human rights standards be applied consistently.”
Public Awareness Campaign
Since the political transition under the Yunus administration, HAHRI has also engaged in an extensive social media and public awareness campaign, amplifying verified reports, survivor testimonies, and documentation from international watchdogs to highlight the deteriorating condition of Hindus in Bangladesh. The campaign has sought to counter silence and misinformation by ensuring that policymakers, journalists, and human rights institutions remain informed of developments on the ground.